Making Better Movies

Part 3 - Editing

You'll need a video editing program. For Windows, that's Microsoft's MovieMaker. On Apple, it's iMovie. (If you're working with an experienced editor, they may want to use Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro and possibly an Avid if they're working somewhere.) Even the simple, free programs will take a bit of time to learn. When you're learning and editing, always remember: Google is your friend.

⭐️ Google is your friend. (I'm going to put a "⭐️" beside everything I say that is super, super, important. As in never ever forget these things. Ever.)

⭐️ If something is edited well, no one will ever notice the edits.

It's the job of the editor to find and tell the story in all the stuff you collected when you shot it.

A lot of editing is problem-solving. The story is there. You just have to find the right way to put the pieces together.

Editors often get really mad at directors and videographers (even if they were the ones who did the directing and shooting) for not getting the shots they need to make a scene work.

⭐️ Expect editing to take 5 – 10 times longer than you thought it would.

It helps if you take the time to rename the files from your camera or make a list of what's in them so you know what's in them. You can mark the bad takes (but don't trash them yet). At least group them in folders named so you can find them. (In editing, these are called "bins" from the deep, cloth sacks that editors used to hang related film clips.) This is boring and time-consuming, but will make your work a lot easier when you're editing and your head is in artist mode.

A scene usually opens on a wide shot ("establishing shot"). If you don't do this, make sure you have a good reason. But always establish your scene at some point so you can give your viewer some frame of reference.

In drama, nearly all your edits will be simple cuts. Dissolves and fades only get you between different scenes.

Editing programs have a million special effects you can use. Don't. This is drama. Exception: you may want to make some scenes look very different, like if they're in a dream or take place in the 23rd dimension. Messing with the video or changing to black and white can be useful there.

Make sure that there is enough difference between shots when you cut, like close-up to medium-shot. Otherwise it will "jump" (known as a jump-cut) and distract the viewer.

To hide an edit, try to cut on some kind of action (a character looking up, turning or reacting to something).

You will need continuity between edits, making sure the character is looking in the same direction, etc. If they are moving their right arm, it should be their right arm moving in the next. (For continuity, you'll want to cut when the arm is in about the same position in both shots or just before it moves.) If a character is wearing glasses in one shot, they should be wearing them in the next. Duh! (Even Hollywood messes up on this sometimes.)

Likewise, if your characters are moving, make sure it's always in the same direction across the screen. You may need to insert a cutaway (a shot they're not in) to cover a change of direction in an emergency.

Very advanced tip from Hollywood editors: keep the viewer's eyeballs in mind. If a shot is framed to lead a viewer's eyes to the right, the action from the next shot should move in from the right or start out there. It takes a viewer's eyes a few frames to move from one side of the screen to the other.

If somebody or something is entering an empty scene from off-screen, cut a few frames before the entrance.

You can use reaction shots or cutaways (to something else in the scene) to hide unplanned edits (covering up edits to make the dialog work, etc.). For dialog, you almost always use reaction shots (the face of another character reacting or listening) or a wide-shot where you can't see the speaker's lips moving.

If you use a cutaway to fix a continuity problem, try to use two of them. That way it looks less like a bandaid and more like something intentional.

You'll be using video-only "insert edits" a lot. This is where the audio/dialog is unbroken, but you're covering things with different video clips. This is important to learn how to do with your editing software.

⭐️ Save your work regularly and obsessively.

When you first cut a scene together, don't try to make every edit perfect. You're just collecting the shots that seem to go together. Learn all about trimming an edit. You'll find your shots are going to get shorter and shorter as you edit. When you're setting a mood, some may get longer.

There can be a degree of serendipity (a happy accident) in editing. Sometimes you may discover a shot, a cutaway, a reaction or even something you thought was an out-take (that you didn't delete) may actually make something better than you planned (or saved your butt).

It's helpful to learn how to use the editing software's tools for adjusting the picture and the sound. The sound should be pretty even all the way through the movie and make sure that sound effects and music don't drown out your dialog.

Timing is everything. A scene is not done until the timing feels right.

HOMEWORK: Watch a good dramatic movie (or part of one) without the sound or subtitles. See how the pictures tell a story. You will learn far more about shooting and editing than you ever expected.

EXTRA CREDIT: Listen to a good dramatic movie (or part of one) without watching. You'll learn a lot about acting, sound and music. (I once did this with the very first Star Wars movie. The sound effects and music were amazing. Most of the acting was just horrible!)